Issue - meetings

An overview of the Complex Safeguarding Hub and the impact of the work undertaken by the Complex Safeguarding Hub.

The Scrutiny Board received the Complex Safeguarding Report from the Assistant Director of Childrens Social Work Services. The report outlines the different strands of the work the Complex Safeguarding Hub undertakes, and the outcomes achieved over the period of July 2023 – June 2024.

The Board heard of some of the key achievements of The Complex Safeguarding Hub;

·       They have continued to provide training and advice in respect of Child Exploitation to schools and colleges across the borough.  

• The effectiveness of the complex safeguarding hub and response to missing children and young people has recently been highlighted and commended in the Ofsted Inspection in May 2024.

• There are 106 crimes currently open and have been 39 arrests in relation to Sexual Exploitation and Criminal Investigations, with the investigations into these crimes ongoing. 

• As part of disruption in relation to Exploitation the Complex Safeguarding Police team have issued 36 Child Abduction Warnings.

The Board heard of some of the work being done in protection and prevention and to ensure prosecutions and were provided with some case studies to demonstrate positive outcomes.

The Scrutiny Board heard the Key Priorities of the Complex Safeguarding Hub for 2024/25:

·       Continue to take robust and early action to share intelligence and challenge the operations of perpetrators of exploitation ensuring we maximise the use of all agencies and the legal powers available to us to disrupt the behaviours.

·       To support the development of more in-depth analysis of local trends and themes to continue to inform and drive targeted service delivery.

·       To support the implementation of the adolescent safeguarding framework.

·       Implementation of a contextual safeguarding approach – this will include an audit of processes, procedures, and forms to ensure that   context is robustly considered and rooted in our practice; as well as practically implementing the approach.

·       Strengthen the prevention offer for CSE, CCE and serious youth violence across the partnership.

·       Complex and contextual safeguarding to continue to be offered within the OSCB training offer, alongside training continuing to be offered within schools, colleges, faith sector, residential homes and wider partners.

·       Quality of return home interviews to be improved, with the implementation of a quality assurance framework around these.

In response to Member queries, Officers confirmed that the Complex Safeguarding Hub work with any young person up to the age of 18 years, or up to the age of 25 years for any young adult currently open to the After Care Service for Oldham.

Members questioned what sort of action wold be taken when a young person was willingly staying at known but unsafe address. Officers explained that they have a weekly meetings to discuss situations like this and task and finish groups have been created. Where the young person is high risk, the police will respond. Police will also respond in other cases where reasonable enquiries have been made.

RESOLVED that, the Complex Safeguarding Report was noted by the Scrutiny Board.